


Nothing is permanent but change

by sasha272



Category: Killjoys (TV)
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, F/F, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-26 06:06:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20737439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasha272/pseuds/sasha272
Summary: The Lady was gone but her evil cry was still lingering in the depths of the galaxy. As team awesome force was cleaning up what she had left behind, they found an unexpected gift that Aneela was more than happy to receive. If something good could come out of the dark, then maybe not everything was lost for them.





	Nothing is permanent but change

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Another idea I had thanks to the GQ discord. It ended up way longer than I expected but I wanted to try something different, to challenge this pairing.
> 
> Let me know if you liked it and if you want a sequel with this family.

Aneela entered Yalena’s ship like she was used to by now, excited to spend some bonding time with her sister. However, her joy disappeared when she realized Yala wasn’t waiting for her in the cargo bay. She took a step forward but stopped when she heard her sister’s voice approaching.

“It’s your turn to watch over her, Dutch!” Johnny reminded his friend.

“Well I have plans, so I’m sure you and D’avin can manage.”

“I was supposed to go back to the farm and do some work. I’m not back on the team yet, remember?”

“The farm can wait a bit longer.” Dutch rolled her eyes.

John lightly glared at her. “Do you have to use that tone?”

“What tone?” Yala said innocently.

Aneela was bored already and whatever was going on with her sister’s harem, she didn’t want to know about it. She cleared her throat loudly. “Good morning, Yala.”

“Aneela!” Dutch ignored the look Johnny gave her and moved to hug her sister. “You’re early.”

Aneela tilted her head. “No, I am right on time.” She rested her hands in front of her abdomen.

“Really?” Yalena sighed. “What time is it, Lucy?”

“_It’s_ _9 o’clock, Dutch_,” The voice answered.

Dutch groaned. “I’m sorry, Aneela, I had a long night.”

“What happened?” Before her sister could reply, a loud wail came from the corridor. “What is that noise?” Aneela frowned in displeasure.

“Urgh, a screaming child.”

Aneela’s frown deepened. “Well, make it stop!”

“I can’t.” Dutch turned around and motioned for Johnny to go check on the kid.

“Why is there a child on your ship exactly?”

Dutch sighed for the hundredth time since she woke up. “We found a ship that belonged to The Lady, I mean, before we got rid of her and locked her human form in the cube. She used to experiment on kids until she realized it was pointless to use their bodies as hosts for her spawn.”

“Too young, too fragile, it makes sense.” Aneela mused out loud.

“Only one of them survived, a little girl. We found her scavenging the ship for food. It doesn’t look like she has any parents, hells she doesn’t even have a name, so she’s been staying with us for the past couple of days.”

Aneela hummed pensively. “I see.”

“So it’s been hells and honestly, I don’t know how you do it with Jaq.” Yala brushed a hand through her hair.

“Things are different for me, Jaq is a young man.” Aneela pointed out. “And believe it or not, Kendry is a good mother.”

“I guess I’ll take your word for it. You know…”

“May I see the little girl?” Aneela requested, cutting short any unpleasant conversation her sister could start about her wife. They were getting along better, but there was still work to do. “What is her health status?”

“Johnny says she’s fine but he needs to run some more tests… Why would you want to see her?” Dutch raised an eyebrow.

“I’m curious to see what The Lady has done to this child. Perhaps I could help.”

“Fine, follow me.” Dutch led her sister to the room where the girl was staying. D’avin was with her, trying unsuccessfully to feed her.

When the girl looked at Aneela, the woman stopped breathing for a second. Those eyes, she would recognize them everywhere, she had lost herself in them so many times. Something wasn’t right. Without a word, she took a step closer and studied the child. She was small and skinny, probably around 5 or 6 years old. She had black, raven hair that hung straight and fell about her shoulders but at the front, there was a lighter lock, like a remnant of a previous hair color. She had brown eyes but a golden ring around her pupils. As Aneela stared, she couldn’t help but think she looked a bit like… “Kendry…”

“What?” Yalena noticed the strange look on her sister’s face. “Aneela, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m alright, thank you.” Aneela turned around and grabbed the tablet Johnny was holding to read the girl’s file. She took a brief look at it. “Do you know what type of experiment they were running on her?”

Johnny gawked at her. “Hey, do you mind?! I was using that!”

“Answer the question,” Aneela said in a clipped tone.

John sighed. “We don’t. I found traces of genetic mutations but I was waiting for Zeph to…”

“I can do it.” Aneela cut him off. “I can run some tests, I have all the equipment needed at home.”

“I don’t want to be that guy but,” D’avin jumped in. “She’s not a test subject. She’s a real mini human and she needs care and affection, not being locked into another lab.”

“Kendry and I will provide her what she needs and you three can go back to whatever you usually do.”

“I… I’m not sure if it’s a good idea…” Dutch replied.

Johnny snorted. “Understatement of the year.”

“Yala, may I speak with you in private?” Without waiting for an answer, Aneela walked out of the room.

Dutch shrugged before following her sister in the hallway. “I don’t understand, you have so much to do on Qresh, why are you so adamant in helping her?”

“Can’t you see it?”

“See what exactly?” Dutch frowned. “I’m confused.”

“The physical resemblance with Kendry!”

“I…” Dutch paused for a moment to think. “Well, now that you’ve mentioned it, she does look familiar in a way… Wait, do you think it’s a coincidence or did the Lady…” She trailed off.

“That's what I want to figure out.”

“Alright, you can take her but you have to promise me to keep us updated.”

“I will.” Aneela smiled, gently caressing her sister’s cheek before walking back to the room. “Come on, little bird, I’m going to take care of you now.”

* * *

Delle Seyah was finally home and she was exhausted. She knew it would require some work to rule over Qresh but she didn’t think people would still fight her and her wife even after the coronation. She should have known better. Some of the old faces of the Nine might be dead but it didn’t mean their heirs were any less power-hungry. She sighed, she just wanted a nice dinner with her wife and son and call it a day. She smiled when she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Aneela was probably hungry after spending the day with her sister doing Gods knew what. She stepped into the room. “Good evening, my darling, how was…” She stopped herself when instead of seeing her wife, she came face to face with a little girl.

“Hi,” The child said shyly.

Kendry frowned. “Hello.” She scanned the room for any sign of her family or intruders but they were alone.

The girl started fidgeting uncomfortably. “Who are you?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Delle Seyah arched an eyebrow. “Who are you?” When the girl simply stared at her, she rolled her eyes. “This is ridiculous… Aneela? Jaq? Anyone?” Silence.

“Here,” Jaq’s voice suddenly filled the room. “I found you some toys.” He gently put them in the girl’s hands. “Hey, ma.”

Kendry stood still, wondering why there was a child in her home and nobody seemed to be troubled by it. “Jaq, dear, what is going on? Where is your mother?”

“Oh, didn’t she tell you?”

“Tell me what exactly?” Delle Seyah was starting to get annoyed now. “Who is she? Where are her parents? Our house isn’t a nursery for the poor!”

“Uh, she doesn’t have a name yet.” Jaq shrugged helplessly. “Mom said she had nowhere to go and she asked me to watch her while she talks to you.”

“Well, I haven’t seen her since this morning.” Kendry gave her son a pinched smile.

As if on cue, Aneela strutted into the room. “Kendry, my love, you’re back! I’m sorry, I was in my laboratory and I lost track of time.” She leaned down to kiss her wife but she pulled away.

“Care to explain why there is a little girl in our kitchen?” Delle Seyah crossed her arms.

“Oh, well, you see…”

“Am I in trouble?” The little girl asked suddenly.

Aneela kneeled down in front of her and smiled reassuringly. “Of course not, little bird. Why don’t you go with Jaq? I’ll call you when it’s time for us to have dinner.” She stood up and gently pushed the child toward her son, grinning at him when he took the girl’s hand and left the room without any objection. 

“I’m still waiting.” Kendry reminded her wife.

Aneela sighed. “Yalena found her, alone, in one of the Lady’s old ships. She is the only survivor of her experiment and she has nowhere to go.”

“Why is that any of our business? I’m sure the three musketeers can find a couple who would be more than happy to play house.” 

“I offered to keep her…”

“She’s not a pet, Aneela.”

“No, but she suffered at the Lady’s hand just like us.”

Delle Seyah sighed. “Well, I’m sorry for her but she is not your responsibility.”

“It’s too late, she is here now.”

“And you didn’t think it would be wise to consult me before you made such a big decision?”

“I’m sorry,” Aneela apologized. She had been so focused on getting answers that she didn't really think things through. “Everything happened so fast and she is just a child.”

Kendry studied her wife for a moment. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing.”

“Nice try.” Delle Seyah chuckled darkly. “But you forget, I can tell when you are lying to me.”

“I am just trying to protect you in case my theories are wrong,” Aneela said in an attempt to placate her wife. “I know it’s not ideal but it’s best to have her here with us until we know more.”

“I thought we were equals, I thought we were a team. We should make decisions regarding our family together.” Kendry shook her head. “Why would you want another child? Isn’t what we have enough?”

“It is but…”

“You know, Gander didn’t stop to ask my opinion about motherhood either.” Kendry knew it was a low blow but she had a long day and she didn’t need another target on her back, something the Nine could use against her.

“Kendry…”

Delle Seyah lifted her hand to stop her wife’s words. “I had a long day, I’ll have dinner in my office. You can dine in the living room with the children.” She gave Aneela one last look before leaving the room.

* * *

After dinner, Aneela sent the kids to their room and went to her wife’s office with her tablet. She knocked lightly and opened the door. “Knock knock?” She smiled when she saw her wife lounging in her chair, a glass in her hand. “Are you still cross with me?”

“What do you want, Aneela, I’m busy,” Kendry answered without looking.

“No, you’re not. You are hiding and drinking.”

Delle Seyah ignored the comment. “I don’t understand.” She put her glass down on the desk. “You never said you wanted another child so why do you care so much, Aneela?”

Aneela closed the door behind her and sat in the chair opposite the desk. She sighed. “You are right, we are equals, and I should have said something. I know you can take care of yourself but I love you, Kendry, and I will never stop trying to protect you.”

“What are you protecting me from?”

“It’s not just a random child, she has your eyes, Kendry, your hair color and…” Aneela put the tablet on the desk and pushed it toward her wife so she could read the test results. “Some of your very rare genes as well…” She paused. “I don’t know what The Lady did to her, or how, but when I saw her, I knew I had to help.”

Kendry stared at the results without a word. “It’s not possible…”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“Where did your sister find her?”

“In a ship.”

“Where is this ship?” Delle Seyah snapped.

Aneela clicked her tongue. She knew her wife’s anger wasn’t directed at her and yet her attitude hurt. “I can find out.”

“I want to see it, I want to search it until we know what happened and then I want to burn it to the ground.” Kendry’s voice grew cold. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Even gone The Lady still had power over them. She didn’t ask for Jaq, she was fine without a child but now, she had come to care for him. If she could go back in time, she wouldn’t change a thing because it brought her Aneela and her son. But her heart was full and she didn’t think she could care about another person, especially not a child.

“I will ask Yala tonight. We can go tomorrow.”

“And then what?”

“If she is indeed connected to you, we could keep her. And find her a name.” Aneela said earnestly. “It could be our chance to experience what we didn’t have with Jaq…”

“Aneela, be serious, we are not those kinds of people.”

Aneela frowned. “I raised Yala on my own for a while, and she turned out alright.”

“Let’s not go there, you might not like what I have to say.”

“Just think about it.” Aneela stood up. She could tell her wife needed a moment alone to think about the situation. She walked toward the door but stopped when Kendry spoke again.

“I can’t do it, Aneela. No matter what we find, I can’t.”

* * *

Kendry woke up with a start. Someone was crying. It took her a moment to realize it was the little girl in their guest room. She sighed, not opening her eyes. “Neely? Aneela, the girl is crying.” When she was met by silence, she opened her eyes. The bed was cold and empty. After a while, the cries stopped but her wife didn’t come back. Intrigued, she reluctantly left the warmth of her bed and went to investigate. Once she reached the room, she leaned against the door frame and silently watched. Her wife was holding the girl against her chest, talking softly.

“Do you want to hear a story?” Aneela asked. When the girl nodded, she continued. “_When the nights were long and the days were deep, there lived a girl…_”

Kendry took a moment to really look at the girl. Her wife was right, they had some physical similarities but it didn’t make any sense. Suddenly, Jaq appeared next to her, bringing her out of her musing.

“Is she okay?” Jaq asked with a yawn.

Delle Seyah reached out and gently touched his hair. “Just a nightmare, go back to bed.” Her son nodded and sleepily made his way back to his room. She glanced at the girl one last before doing the same. They had a long day ahead of them.

* * *

The next day, Aneela left the house early to meet with her sister and Kendry was stuck with the child.

Jaq was with his teacher so she couldn’t even ask him to take care of her. With a heavy sigh, she made her way to the living room, trying to find the little monster. She heard her before seeing her.

“Can I have a cookie?” The little girl asked the maid who was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen.

“No, you already had breakfast with the Queen this morning.” The maid answered before leaving the room.

Kendry decided to stay hidden and watch the child from afar. Not deterred by the refusal, the little girl made sure she was alone before looking for a way to reach the jar on the counter. After a moment of thinking, she opened the cupboards and dragged the biggest pots she could find, pilling them together to create a little step ladder. “What a cunning little thing,” Kendry whispered to herself.

The girl stuck her tongue out in concentration and carefully stepped on the biggest pot, slowly making her way up. Just before she could reach for the jar, the maid came back into the room. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The voice startled the child who lost her balance and fell on the floor. Soon, her cries filled the room. Delle Seyah made a face, she hated hearing children cry, it made her skin crawl, such an unpleasant sound.

The maid grabbed the girl’s arm and lifted her up a bit forcefully. “You little thief, I…” 

“That’s enough!” Kendry finally revealed herself and walked toward them. “Let go of her arm.”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, she…”

“_She_ is a guest in this house and you will not touch her again, unless you want to lose a hand.” Delle Seyah stated coldly. “Have I made myself clear?” She waited for the maid to nod then dismissively waved at her. “Leave us.”

The maid bowed her head. “Yes, ma’am.”

Kendry turned her attention back to the girl. “You know, when you are trying to steal something from someone, don’t focus on the prize only, you need to stay aware of your surroundings.” She grabbed the jar and opened it. “You need to have a plan but, you also need enough time to carry it out. If time is missing, just stop, hide the evidence and try again later. You can’t do that if you get caught, now, can you?” She reached out for a cookie and gave it to her.

The little girl sniffled but took the cookie with a small smile. “Thank you.”

Delle Seyah nodded. “Now, I should go back to…” She trailed off when she noticed the blood on the girl’s arm. She must have hurt herself when she fell. “We need to fix your arm, come with me.” She started walking toward the door but quickly realized the girl wasn’t following, “What are you waiting for?”

The girl stared at her with pleading eyes and lifted her arms to be carried.

“Did you hurt your legs?” Kendry asked with a frown but the child shook her head no. “Then I’m sure you can walk.” She took another step forward but the girl started crying again. “Stop that!” She sighed wearily. “I have things to do so I will carry you this time, but don’t get used to it.” She picked the girl up and settled her on her hip before walking toward Aneela’s laboratory. “And you should know, Queen and Princess don’t cry,” She paused, remembering her conversation with Jaq a long time ago. “At least, not over trivial things, so try to remember that.”

Once they reached the lab, Kendry used the laser healer to fix the girl’s arm. Then, she let her explore the room for a while, hoping it would keep her busy and prevent another crying fest. One the way back, Kendry tried to put the girl down but she refused to let go and so with a defeated sigh, she kept walking. She reached the foyer just when Dutch entered the house. “Where’s Aneela?”

“Hello to you too, Delle Seyah, always a pleasure.” Yalena rolled her eyes. “Aneela is on her way, I’m just here to pick up the kid.”

“I am not a kid, I’m a princess.” The girl said proudly.

Dutch chuckled. “Well, I can see you two are getting along just fine.”

Kendry smiled despite herself. “It looks like she’s a fast learner.”

Aneela finally joined them. “Are you ready to go, my love?”

“No, because this little bug has been glued to me for the past hours.” Delle Seyah stepped closer to her wife and handed her the child. “Your turn.”

“Hello, little bird. How are you?” Aneela settled the girl on her hip and tickled her.

The child giggled. “Good. The mean lady wanted to hurt me but Kendy helped me. She even gave me a cookie.” She smiled happily.

“It’s Kendry…” Delle Seyah corrected. “It was nothing,” She waved her hand. “I’ll fire her when we get back and… You know what, I don’t have time for this. Give me five minutes, I’ll meet you on the ship.” She said before leaving.

“She’s pretty.” The girl stated.

“She is,” Aneela answered with a proud smile.

“You too. Why do you look the same?” The girl questioned, her eyes shifting from Aneela to Dutch.

“We are sisters, twins,” Dutch answered gently. “Does she have a name yet?”

“No,” Aneela scratched behind her ear. “I… I will, I want to but things are complicated right now.”

“Okay then, _child_,” Dutch forced a smile. “You’re going to stay with me today while your m… your… uh, while Aneela and Kendry are away.”

The girl pouted. “Do I have to?”

“We’ll be back before you know it, little bird.” Aneela put her down and looked at her sister. “Jaq should be back at 3 PM.”

“I know, D’avin will be there.”

“Good.”

Dutch offered her hand for the kid to take. “Come on, D’avin found us a few games so we can play together.”

The girl took Dutch’s hand and waved at Aneela as she left.

* * *

Kendry and Aneela found The Lady’s old ship without trouble but it was the easiest part. The place was a mess, there were bodies, weapons, and blood everywhere. It looked like the crew had left in a hurry, not caring about what and who they left behind. As they moved deeper inside the ship, they found remains of what looked like spiders.

“What happened here?” Kendry wondered at loud, keeping her gun close and ready to shoot.

“An experiment gone wrong...” Aneela kept walking. Her sister had told her she had cleaned up the ship but she didn’t want to stay here for too long. “Come, the lab should be this way.”

The laboratory wasn’t in a better state than the rest of the ship but after some light hacking, they were able to access the console. “I’m looking for the girl’s file,” Kendry stated as she scrolled through pictures of the children. “There must be a hundred of them. I might have been evil but I never stoop so low as to hurt children.” She frowned as the list kept going. “Here she is, number 72.” She looked at the screen more closely. “She was an orphan. It doesn’t say where she comes from but she was one of the last to arrive on board. Her body reacted well to the injections, like it bonded with whatever The Lady was giving her.” She stared at the picture of the little girl. “Look at her, she was different when she arrived here.”

“Is there something on the experiment?” Aneela questioned.

Kendry closed the file and kept looking. “Here, Project Gaia.”

“Let me see.” Aneela took over. “She wanted viable hosts for her children and since she couldn’t use the green anymore, she tried something else.” She opened a document and projected it on the bigger screen. “They engineered a retrovirus that forces certain dormant genes to express themselves. They tried different strands of recombinant RNA to make the retrovirus but after a while, she focused on your genes.”

“But why me?”

Aneela kept reading. “She didn’t expect you to survive the pregnancy.” She said, barely containing her anger. “She wanted to understand why you were still alive, if it was only due to Jaq or…”

“If it was me.” Kendry finished for her. As if it wasn’t enough to be used as a surrogate, the Lady had to use her for her little experiment too.

“It looks like it was you. Apparently the green activated dormant genes in your DNA and it allowed you to be pregnant and carry Jaq to term. She tried to replicate that on a bigger scale to create valuable hosts.”

“Well, clearly it didn’t work…”

“Except for number 72.”

Delle Seyah nodded. “Is it permanent?”

“The effects are now well implemented into her DNA so you would need another retrovirus to undo everything. But without a new injection, her body should stop activating the mutations and she should have a normal life.”

“With a part of me in her.” Kendry shut down the console. She had seen enough. “I want the retrovirus destroyed and all of her research too.”

* * *

After destroying the ship, they made their way back to Qresh.

Kendry was in the mess of their ship, nursing her drink when Aneela found her. “Are you alright?” she questioned, sitting in front of her wife at the table.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s a lot to take in, even for you,” Aneela said softly.

“We can’t change what happened.” Kendry pinched her lips as if holding in something bitter. “The Lady is gone and we have our empire, let’s focus on that.”

“We still have to discuss what we’re going to do with the girl.”

Delle Seyah sighed. “I told you, Aneela, we are queens. We have a lot of work to do and we already have Jaq…”

“But I want to keep her, and I know our little bear would be more than happy to have a sister.”

“And I don’t want a daily reminder of what The Lady did because of me, especially not when the result looks like me.”

“I thought you were alright with it.” Aneela raised an eyebrow. She knew her wife was affected by what they had seen in the lab but didn’t want to admit it.

Kendry laughed humorlessly. “Well, you should know when I lie.”

Aneela reached out and touched her wife’s cheek lovingly. “You did some awful things in your life, Kendry, but this one isn’t on you.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t…”

* * *

Things didn’t get better after that. The couple kept fighting about the girl and no one was willing to give in.

Slowly, Aneela realized her wife was taking her distance, finding every excuse to avoid family dinner or time with the child. One night, Aneela had enough and went to confront Kendry in her office. “We can’t keep going like this, Kendry, we need to talk.”

“You already know what I think, you made your decision and I made mine.” Kendry stood up from her desk.

“What about us being a team?”

Kendry shook her head. “Should I remind you that I carried Jaq for you, that I agreed to be human for our child’s sake even though I’m hullen again now? I even postponed being a Queen to find you and rule with you on Qresh.” Her voice slightly rose in anger. “I think I’ve sacrificed enough for this family already.”

“I understand and I am grateful for what you did but you are not alone anymore, we can do this together.” Aneela moved closer to her wife and gently took her hands in hers.

“Aneela, I would do pretty much anything for you, but not this…”

Aneela stayed silent for a moment, not letting go of her hold on Kendry while pondering her options. “I don’t want to lose you, so… if you really don’t want to do this, maybe we could find her a nice family and I could visit her now and then…”

“Thank you.” Kendry pulled her wife closer and hugged her.

* * *

A few days later, Aneela came home with a list of candidates for the girl’s new family. She showed it to her wife after dinner.

Kendry sat behind her desk and studied the list, ignoring her wife’s eyes on her. “No, too poor.” She kept going and rolled her eyes. “Too vulgar.” She made a face. “Urgh, definitely not.” She looked at Aneela. “Is that all of them? They are all terrible.”

“Are they really?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Kendry frowned.

“It means that not every family on Qrech has an army of tutors, twelve servants, and a mansion but they are still able to raise their children properly.”

Delle Seyah scoffed. “That’s rich coming from the mighty heir of the Kin Rit family.”

“I might despise them but I am not blind.” Aneela could feel her anger rising. They had never argued as much nor as badly as they had been doing lately and no amount of angry sex seemed to solve the tension between them. “So what do we do now? You don’t want her to stay here but no one is good enough for her. What do you really want, Kendry?”

“I don’t know.” Kendry barked.

Aneela slammed her hands on the desk. “Then figure it….” She was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Yes?” She roared.

Jaq poked his head inside the room. “Mom?”

“Which one?” Aneela and Kendry snapped at the same time.

“Moms?” Jaq tried again. “I can’t find the girl.”

“What?” Aneela said in a slight panic.

Kendry tilted her head to the side and looked at her wife. “See what happens when you leave a child in a mansion with an army of tutors and twelve servants?”

Aneela glared at Kendry before focusing on her son. “What happened?”

“She heard you fight and then she left,” Jaq explained. “I can’t find her.”

“I’ll check outside.” Aneela rushed out of the room to go look for the girl.

Jaq stared at his mother. “Are you two alright? I don’t like it when you fight…”

Delle Seyah sighed. “We’ll be alright, don’t worry. Let’s just go find the girl.”

“You really need to give her a name, it’s weird,” Jaq stated.

“I know...”

“Can I say something?” The boy asked when they exited the room.

“Me saying ‘no’ has never stopped you before.” Delle Seyah answered playfully.

“Ah ah, very funny.” Jaq rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I think I liked you better when you didn’t try to make mom’s jokes.”

Kendry laughed. “Tell me.”

“The girl, she looks like you for a reason, right?” When his mother nodded, the boy continued. “Then why can’t we just adopt her? We could be a family and…”

“Jaq, please…”

“I know you said you didn’t choose to be a mother but, for what it’s worth, I think you’ve been doing a pretty good job at being mine, except when you force me to finish my vegetables but… this girl, she just wants a family, like I used to. Would it be so bad to welcome her in ours?”

“Sometimes I think you are too wise for your own good.” Kendry declared. “Go back to your room in case she comes back for you, I’ll check downstairs.” She walked down the stairs, not waiting for her son to reply because she knew he would try to convince her some more. Despite trying her best to stay distant, she had come to care for the girl. She could see parts of herself in her and it was getting harder to deny it. She shook her head, now wasn’t the time to question her choices, she had a little girl to find.

* * *

As more time passed without a sign of the girl, Kendry started to feel anxious. When she reached the kitchen, she scanned the room for any clue on the child’s location and that was when her eyes fell on the cookie jar. It was empty. She raised an eyebrow and moved closer to investigate. Everything was in order except for the crumbs on the floor. She smiled. “Almost the perfect crime.” She followed the trail to the terrace outside. It was dark now but once her eyes adjusted to their surroundings, she spotted the girl’s silhouette in the corner. She sighed in relief. She hadn't realized how worried she had been until that very moment. She slowly made her way to her.

The girl was curled up against the wall, her head buried in arms as she cried. “I see you got better at stealing,” Kendry said in a low voice, not wanting to startle her. No answer. With a sigh, she sat down next to her. “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t want me.” The girl mumbled without looking at her.

“I…” Delle Seyah was at lost for words, which was a first. Her lack of answer seemed to upset the girl further and she started crying harder. “Please, don’t cry.”

The girl finally looked at her. “I’m a not a princess, I cry!” She tried to wipe her tears but they kept flowing.

“Can I tell you a secret?” When the girl nodded, Kendry smiled and whispered. “I am a Queen and I also cry sometimes. Not much, but still…”

“Really?”

“I used to think crying was for the weak, but now, I know it’s just a human thing and you are human.”

“I like you, I like it here.” The girl sniffled before laying down and resting her head on Kendry’s lap. “I don’t want to go.”

Delle Seyah tensed, surprised by the gesture. “I’ll see what I can do…” She said after a while as she gently played with the girl’s hair.

* * *

Aneela found them twenty minutes later. “Finally, I was so worried.”

Kendry put her finger in front of her mouth to tell her wife to talk softer. “Shhh, she’s asleep…”

“You found her,” Aneela whispered with a smile. She kneeled down in front of them and softly caressed the little girl’s hair.

“Yes, cookies were once again her downfall.” Delle Seyah shook her head in amusement. “I’ll have to teach her how to hide evidence next time, or maybe I’ll just tell her to stop eating cookies at all hours of the day.” Her eyes widened as a thought popped into her head. “Oh Gods, don’t tell me she is a bit of a Jaquobi too.” She made a face.

Aneela chuckled. “No, just a Kendry.” She smiled lovingly. “I’ll take her to bed, I’ll join you in our room after.” She slipped her hands under the child’s knees and back and cradled her sleeping body close to her chest.

Kendry watched as her wife made her way back inside the house. There was a particular softness in the way Aneela cared for children, as if she wanted to protect them from the evil of the world, something no one had done for her. Somehow, Kendry realized that she liked this side of her wife. She liked that Aneela could be ruthless in the face of their enemies but secure enough to be soft around her family. A soft kind of strong… And if her wife could do it after everything, maybe she could too…

* * *

“I thought about a name for her,” Kendry stated when her wife joined her in bed.

Aneela gave her an intrigued smile. “What is it?”

“Lixii,” Delle Seyah announced. “It means 72 in old the old language.”

“I love it but…” Aneela paused to study her wife’s face. “Why would you want to name her if…”

“I thought about it and you were right.” Kendry interrupted her gently. “Nobody is good enough because we should be the one raising her.”

“Really?”

Kendry smiled at her wife’s excited face. “Yes.”

“You won’t regret it, my love.” Aneela pulled Kendry closer and peppered her face with kisses. “Our family will thrive for centuries!”

“Promise?”

“Promise!” Aneela smiled at her wife before kissing her deeply.


End file.
